The subject matter herein relates generally to a socket assembly for connecting an electronic package to a host circuit board of an electronic system.
The ongoing trend toward smaller, lighter, and higher performance electrical components and higher density electrical circuits has led to the development of surface mount technology in the design of printed circuit boards and electronic packages. Surface mountable packaging allows for a separable connection of an electronic package, such as an integrated circuit or a computer processor, to pads on the surface of the circuit board rather than by contacts or pins soldered in plated holes going through the circuit board. Surface mount technology may allow for an increased component density on a circuit board, thereby saving space on the circuit board.
One form of surface mount technology includes socket connectors. Conventional socket connectors include a substrate with terminals on one side of the substrate and an array of conductive solder elements, such as a ball grid array (BGA), on the opposite side, electrically connected through the substrate by conductive pathways through the substrate. The terminals engage contacts on the electronic package at a compressible interface. However, the solder elements are soldered to conductive pads on a host circuit board, such as a mother board. The solder elements create a permanent interface on the bottom side of the socket connector. Some known socket connectors have compressible interfaces on both the top side and the bottom side. For example, compressible terminals are provided on both the top side and the bottom side. However, such socket connectors typically utilize different terminals on both sides, increasing the number of parts and the assembly time thus increasing the manufacturing cost of the socket connector. Additionally, having two sets of terminals increases the thickness of the socket connector.
A need remains for a socket connector having improved mating with an electronic package and a host circuit board.